Step 11: Add Keyboard Tray And Peripherals

I prefer to stand while working, and have built several standing and treadmill desks. While they were functional, my previous standing desks have really been hacks, using whatever scrap and random hardware I had at hand. Once functionally finished, I never aesthetically finished them, and simply starting working on them. I recently had the need to built a new standing desk, and took it as an opportunity to learn from my previous versions, build from some very nice walnut hardwood, and to properly finish it.

Step 1: Design

With access to a nice shop for building and assembling and little necessity to hand write, the desk with my computer has changed from a work surface to a surface to hold my keyboard and a surface to collect junk. With this in mind, I designed my desk to minimize the actual desk surface, hoping to keep the accumulation of junk in check. It's really more of a small shelf with a keyboard tray than a desk. It's just deep enough to hold a laptop, and the other dimensions are generally based on the Golden Rectangle.

Step 2: Dimension Wood

I started with a few pieces of walnut from MacBeath Hardwood. I choose walnut for its hardness and color, and to match the aesthetics of the room. First, I dimensioned the wood by:

making a flat reference surface with the jointer

making another flat surface 90 degrees to the first surface with the jointer

planing the wood to a consistent thickness with the planer

ripping the wood on the table saw to the appropriate width

cross cutting the wood on the miter saw to the appropriate length

Step 3: Cut Holes For Wires

I wanted to feed the power, USB, and display cables through the desk to keep the cables tidy. To do this, I used a hole saw to cut holes just big enough for the connectors to pass through.

Step 4: Cut Holes For Biscuits

With the exception of the wall-mounting hardware, I didn't want any exposed hardware, so opted to use biscuits.

About This Instructable

Bio:Eric J. Wilhelm is the founder of Instructables. He has a Ph.D. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering. Eric believes in making technology accessible through understanding, and strives to inspire others ...read more »